In the Blink of an Eye
by peachesxcream
Summary: Before dying, Nadeshiko gave her daughter the gift of making any boy fall in love with her. Sakura later befriends Eriol, whom she crushes on, and decides to use that gift... but what if her aim misses? SxS.


Jenna and Eileen here… yeeeap, we're redoing this story. It was atrocious. We've never read anything as poorly written as this horrid "masterpiece." The 120 or so reviews were from our old chapters; don't mind them!

Disclaimer: CLAMP owns CCS.

Summary: At the young, naïve age of six, Kinomoto Sakura experiences the tragic death of her mother, Kinomoto Nadeshiko. Before her death, Nadeshiko grants Sakura the gift to, supposedly, make any boy fall in love with her. Three years later, Sakura befriends Eriol, whom she crushes on, but doesn't necessarily love. She foolishly decides to use that gift on Eriol… but what if her aim misses?

_In the Blink of an Eye_

_:peachesxcream:_

**Chapter 1**._I Wish..._

"SAKKIE-CHAAAAN!" a joyous voice rang out, loud and clear, from quite a distance. Waist-length indigo curls bounced in time with her skips on the luscious green grass, its silkiness reflecting the sun's intense rays. Her amethyst eyes, framed with naturally curled eyelashes, sparkled with innocent enthusiasm as her slender, powerful arms dragged along two boys with her. Smiling brightly, her porcelain-like face came into view as she approached a girl who, by the looks of it, was about the same age.

"Sakkie-chan! Meet my new friend, Hiiragizawa Eriol, and his best friend, Li Syaoran. Li's okaa-san and my okaa-san are good friends," the paler girl, Tomoyo, gushed with excitement, her cheeks flushed from running. With a simple gesture, she indicated that the midnight-blue-haired boy was Eriol. His deep blue eyes were framed by thick-rimmed glasses, and his polite smile held a mysterious charm, successfully used on girls, both young and old. Beside him stood a boy, slightly taller than himself, chocolate-brown locks untidily arranged on his head. With his gaze cast downward, his eyes were hidden from "Sakkie-chan's" view.

After the slightest glance at Hiiragizawa Eriol, "Sakkie-chan" already had butterflies stirring about her stomach. Facing to her left in order to hide her faint blush, her chin-length auburn locks, pulled into two pigtails, ruffled slightly in the wind. Lingering on anywhere but Eriol, wide, enticing emerald eyes complemented her creamy complexion. Her arms crossed self-consciously in front of her chest, and when Tomoyo asked her what was wrong, Sakura shook her head like it was nothing.

Deciding, after a moment, that she was being too stupid and childish for a nine year old, Sakura bowed and boldly stuck her hand out to Eriol, inhaling deeply. "Konnichiwa, Hiiragizawa-san. May I call you Eriol-kun?" Awed at her sudden change of mood, Tomoyo's eyes widened, a bit impressed.

With a mischievous glint in his sapphire eyes, the cerulean-haired boy caught her pale hand and brushed his lips softly against it. "Hai," he replied, his voice holding a minor British accent. "But only if I may call you Sakura-chan." Sakura's face reddened noticeably, then she looked away once more.

Diverting his attention to the chestnut-haired friend beside him, Eriol nudged the other boy. "Syaoran-kun, say hi to Sakura-chan!" he ordered through gritted teeth. His empty amber eyes still examining the dirty ground, void of emotion, Syaoran managed a quiet "konnichiwa."

Confused and intrigued by the emotionless look in Syaoran's eyes, Sakura sent a questioning glance towards Tomoyo, who returned it with the same look, accompanied by a mere shrug.

So the conversation continued on, mainly between Tomoyo and Eriol, and occasionally a "yes" or "no" from Sakura. A couple of yards away sat Syaoran, all alone, with the exception of the black pigeon he was feeding with bread he found in his back pocket. Sakura unconsciously stared at him, while nodding every so often to let Eriol and Tomoyo know she was still "paying attention," when memories of her past flooded her mind, blocking out all thoughts of the conversation…

**X.**_Flashback_

"Sakura-chan…" a frail voice whispered, using all its strength to choke out a few words. "I doubt that I will survive this accident, so I will give you a gift… I-It is a … special gift, so u-use it well… If I am unable to survive and take care of you in the future, you will n-need a husband to care for and support you…" Kinomoto Nadeshiko lay on a plain white hospital bed, her once lively indigo locks now appearing limp, and her pale skin now darkened with third degree burns. Connected to machines by tubes attached to all parts of her body, her attempts to shift in her bed were futile.

Six-year-old Kinomoto Sakura, her eyes an exact replica of Nadeshiko's, peered up at her fragile and dying mother. Fear was evident in her orbs, but interest in Nadeshiko's words was, as well.

"What is it, Okaa-san?" Naïve emerald eyes observed her mother's face, waiting for her to continue.

Nadeshiko shakily breathed in, her eyes gleaming with unshed tears. "O-One day, Sakura, you'll find a boy you really, really like… possibly even _love_… And w-when you find that boy, look him in the eye and wait until he looks at you… Wish that that boy, whom you truly love, will stay by you all your life, and take good care of you… B-But use this gift well, not foolishly… because if you end up realizing that this isn't the boy, y-you will have to learn to love him…" A small smile graced her features, lighting up them up for a fraction of a second.

"Is this what you really want, Okaa-san?" Sakura lips trembled violently as she took note of her mother's breath slowing down, her eyes fighting to stay open, her soul fighting to stay alive…

"Hai, Sakura-chan… y-your true love will love you back… all in the blink of an eye…" and with those last few words, a tear escaped Nadeshiko's eye, and her weak eyelids closed for the last time.

**X.**_End of Flashback_

'_If only Otou-san's friends hadn't been messing around with those fireworks, Okaa-san would have still been alive… But she wanted me to use the gift… I don't know what love feels like, but I'm guessing that my stomach flip-flopping around is it…' _

Her mind still focusing on her mother's death, Sakura quietly mumbled to herself. "I'll use it now…"

Catching incoherent mumbles escaping from Sakura's mouth, Tomoyo cocked her head cutely to the side and curiously insisted, "What was that, Sakkie-chan? Hmm? What was that you said?"

"Ano..." Sakura sweat dropped and forced herself to smile, scratching the back of her head nervously. Persistence was a good thing, but too much of it when Tomoyo-chan was hyper? "Ano... I said... let's go rollerblading?"

"Ohhh," Tomoyo densely nodded her head and flashed a smile to Sakura in understanding. "I see..."

For a moment after Tomoyo's comment, there was peaceful silence. Sakura, Eriol, and Tomoyo enjoyed their view of the park: people playing frisby with their dogs, couples holding hands and cuddling together, and… Syaoran, talking to himself? Oh wait, he was talking to the black pigeon… The three new friends raised an eyebrow in Syaoran's direction then chuckled to themselves.

'_What a weird kid…' _Sakura shook her head, sighing sadly.

Remembering what she had previously said (lied, preferably?) to Tomoyo, Sakura immediately spoke up, "Well, let's go!" Zipping open her pink Hello Kitty backpack, she lugged a pair of pink and black rollerblades out, preparing to replace them with her worn-out sneakers.

Snapping out of his trance, Eriol turned toward Syaoran and called out to him, motioning for him to leave the bench and his new friend (the pigeon). As Syaoran hesitantly approached, Eriol slung his arm around him good-naturedly. "We don't have our rollerblades with us; they're back at Syaoran's place. Meet you back here in twenty minutes?" Eriol amicably flashed a cheesy smile towards the two girls; unknowingly, both their knees threatened to buckle from beneath them…

Tomoyo sent a questioning glance in Sakura's direction, and when Sakura shrugged, Tomoyo nodded approvingly, causing Syaoran to push Eriol's arm off and dash away in the direction of Syaoran's mansion, with Eriol trailing not too far behind. "Ja ne!"

When the two boys were finally out of sight, Sakura turned to face her best friend of practically nine years. "Come on, Tomoyo, let's go sit there," she pointed towards the bench Syaoran was feeding the pigeon on. Tugging along Tomoyo and her skates, Sakura plopped down on the hard, wooden bench, kicking her pink sneakers off in the process.

"So, Tomoyo-chan," Sakura began after a couple of minutes in silence, wiggling her toes around to stretch them after being stuck in her shoe for so long. "How do you know Eriol-kun and Li-san?"

Delicately gathering her skates from her lilac-colored backpack, Tomoyo placed her shoes where her rollerblades were temporarily stored. "Li-sama and my okaa-san are good friends," Tomoyo tapped her finger against her chin thoughtfully, obviously recalling how the two elegant ladies knew each other. "Li-sama came from Hong Kong to visit her business in Japan on a short vacation, and decided to bring along her only son, Li-san, and his best friend, Eriol-kun."

"Ahhh," Sakura nodded slowly, her mind still analyzing this new piece of information. _'I hope Eriol-kun is going to stay for a long time, because-'_

"Wait, short vacation!" Sakura blurted out as she alertly sat up, her vivid green eyes widened in shock. "How long will Eriol-kun be staying!" Subconsciously twiddling her thumbs in bewilderment, Sakura stared at her best friend in anticipation.

"Mou, Sakkie-chan, why are you so shocked? What, did you think they would be going to school with us or something like that?" Tomoyo's eyebrow rose as she buckled and clipped the various parts of her rollerblades, lacing them where it was needed. "Whatever. They'll be leaving in a few days: a week, at most. Unless, you know, Li-sama decides to change her mind and leave the boys here."

Sakura's heart rate quickened. If she was going to perform the spell, wish, whatever it's called… she had to do it soon! Before Eriol-kun left for … wherever it was he came from! If they left, she might not ever be able to see them again… "O-Oh… okay, I just wanted to know s-so that… I could, ano… get them a 'going away' present?" Yeah, it was a lame excuse, but then again, Sakura was never a quick thinker like Tomoyo. Eriol was probably a quick thinker, too. And a really smart student. Oh, Eriol… (inserts dreamy sigh)

At the mere thought of him, a blush crept up Sakura's face and settled on her cheeks. Tomoyo became aware of her redness and her hand promptly found its way to Sakura's forehead, then brushed away wisps of auburn hair in order to measure the heat radiating from her neck. "Kami-sama, Sakkie-chan, daijoubu desu ka? You look sick!"

Sakura nervously giggled and scooted farther away from Tomoyo, snatching up and pulling on her rollerblades like a pro. Meanwhile, Tomoyo, still concerned, bombarded her with questions, like if she needed to go home, because if she did, Tomoyo could just call her chauffer and he'd gladly pick up Sakura –

"Oh, look, Tomoyo-chan!" Sakura excitedly pointed past Tomoyo's head of violet tresses, standing up on her rollerblades to get a clear view of what was behind the other girl in attempt to distract her. Tomoyo glanced up at her friend in perplexity, then her facial expression shifted from one of confusion to excitement. "Ooh, are Eriol-kun and Li-san finally here?" Glancing over her shoulder, her face changed, once again, from one of excitement to disbelief.

"Sakkie-chan… it's a _squirrel_, being chased by a _dog… _and you're _excited _over it…" Tomoyo shook her head at best friend questioningly.

Sakura beamed as if it were the greatest sight in the world; next to Eriol, that is. Tomoyo just inched away, not wanting to appear as if she knew the girl beside her. After a minute or so, Sakura "lost interest" (if she ever even _had_ any) and diverted her attention towards a pigeon that appeared beside her on the bench. She started chattering animatedly to the creature, and it sat beside her, perched on the top of the bench. So there the three of them sat, two of them anticipating the arrival of the boys, when finally, they arrived.

Panting for air, the two breathed heavily, clutching their skates, one rollerblade per hand. They greeted a faint "konnichiwa" and collapsed on the wooden Pigeon Befriending Bench. As they finally caught their breath, they pulled on their rollerblades.

'_This is it…'_ Sakura stared directly at Eriol's midnight blue locks, determination evident in her eyes as she blocked out all sounds, including Tomoyo chatting to… a pigeon. The abnormal feeling of a penetrating glare overwhelming him, Eriol stood up and observed his surroundings, searching for the source of the glare. It was then that he sent Sakura a quizzical glance, while she imprudently chanted to herself…

'_I wish… I wish for you to fall in love with me, Kinomoto Sakura…'_

And what a foolish fault that was, for during that precise moment, the second before Sakura's emerald eyes blinked, Eriol clumsily slipped and landed on his behind, sending Sakura's piercing gaze to Li Syaoran, who, in turn, was gazing directly at her. They locked eyes; Li, his eyes now full of raw passion, averted his gaze, blushing the slightest bit.

Sakura's eyes widened in as reality dawned upon her, and her mouth hung open, agape in bewilderment. "Oh… my… kami-sama… Oh… my… kami-sama…" Her naturally thin eyebrows furrowed as anxiety was found, etched across her face. Purposely collapsing on the ground, she banged her head numerous times on the asphalt, banging harder and harder with each slam.

"You baka, Sakura-chan!" Sakura mildly cursed as Tomoyo and Eriol watched in the background, confused at her sudden change of actions. "I made that pigeon-befriending nerd, Li, fall in love with me!" Sakura groaned in between head poundings.

Successfully hiding how offended he was, Syaoran crossed his arms and scoffed, rising from his seat on the Pigeon Befriending Bench. Skating closer to her, he hotly growled, "I may be the smartest in my class, but I am _not_ a nerd, and I am _not _in love with you!"

Tomoyo, still confused, let out a shriek. Rushing to Sakura's side, she yanked her head from the ground. "Kinomoto Sakura! You are ruining your hair!"

Moping and groaning, Sakura sat up. "It wasn't supposed to happen like this, Tomoyo-chan! It wasn't! It wasn't!" Frustration clouding up her eyes, Sakura snatched up her bag and skated away in the direction of her house. Tomoyo, still as confused as ever, did the same and followed Sakura, her thin legs moving expertly to catch up. Glancing over her shoulder, she motioned for Syaoran and Eriol to stay behind, as they were about to follow the two girls.

When Tomoyo finally caught up with Sakura's long strides, the auburn-haired girl was already a block or so from her house. Tomoyo seized her arm and yanked it to make her stop, but Sakura paid no heed. She skated quicker than ever until she reached her warmly-decorated doorstep, where she stopped abruptly, unlocked the door, dashed inside, and slammed it behind her.

**X.**_The Next Day_

Two nine year old girls were lying on a full-sized bed, their backs facing the bone-colored ceiling. Dark tresses of hair sat piled on top of one head, and auburn hair, pulled into two messy pigtails, hung carelessly from the second head. A variety of magazines sat piled in front of them, organized by months. Japanese pop music blared from the speakers as the girls bobbed their heads energetically to the upbeat rhythm, singing along every few words.

'_Tomoyo was right,'_ the auburn-haired girl thought to herself. _'Even if she doesn't know what's wrong, this is making me feel better!'_

Tomoyo popped up from her position on the bed and skipped to the stereo, clicking a button to turn off the upbeat music. "Will you tell me what's wrong now?" She faced her best friend, her hands resting on her hips.

Groaning, Sakura sat up. "I thought you would forget about that by now!" Tomoyo shook her head 'no,' still waiting for an answer.

"Well… it's something that has to do with Li-san…" Sakura cautiously began as Tomoyo rolled her eyes.

"Uhh, yeah, that was kind of obvious when you looked at him and banged your head on the ground!" Tomoyo passed her friend a "duh!" look.

"Y-yeah, but there's more to it…" Sakura stuttered while biting her lip nervously, praying that Tomoyo would soon change the subject. She had never really told anything this personal to her best friend before…

"Oohhhhhh," Tomoyo's eyes and mouth widened quite noticeably, her foot stopped tapping intolerantly, and she began nodding as if she already knew what Sakura was talking about. "Ohhhhhhh!" She snickered devilishly, her face taking on an evil look. "You like him, don't you?" Her snickers became full-on cackles, sounding a bit like Santa's "Ohohohohohoho!"

Sakura's conscience protested, but her sneaky mouth seemed to have a mind of its own. "Hai," Sakura nodded as her brain caught on to her mouth. "I-I do have a crush on him!" _'I guess this is better than explaining to Tomoyo how I accidentally made him fall in love with me, but I secretly have a crush on Eriol…'_

"How perfect!" Tomoyo's eyes held a starry glint, and her hands were clasped in front of her chest dreamily. "I have a crush on Eriol, and you have a crush on Li-san! Me and Eriol-kun are perfect together, and so are you an Li-san!" She took her previous spot on Sakura's neatly made bed, looking intently up at her ceiling.

Sakura froze, then covered up her shock with a fake giggle. _'Oh kami-sama, Tomoyo-chan likes him too…'_ "Hai, you two would be so kawaii together!" Looking down to read another magazine, she tried to distract herself from Tomoyo's informative words.

"But Sakura, it still doesn't make sense why you were banging your head on the ground yester-" Tomoyo was interrupted by a phone ringing.

**Riiing.**

Picking up the phone beside her, Sakura pressed the "Talk" button. "KonnichiwaKinomotoResidencehowmayIhelpyou?" Sakura stated, all in one breath.

"Ano… is this… Tomoyo-chan?" a voice on the other line hesitantly questioned.

Sakura clutched the phone tightly in her hand. "E-Eriol-kun?" she gasped in delight, ignoring the sharp pang in her chest when he asked if it was Tomoyo-chan.

"Ano, Tomoyo-chan? Do you and Sakura-chan want to meet up with us at the park and get some ice cream?" Eriol felt more at ease, believing it was Tomoyo.

"S-sure, we'll be there in a minute. Ja ne!" Sakura hung up the phone, feeling a bit guilty that she didn't correct Eriol when he thought it was Tomoyo-chan.

Tomoyo glanced up from the magazine she was reading. "What did Eriol-kun want?" Tomoyo's voice seemed as excited as Sakura's.

Sakura weakly smiled at her best friend. "We're going to meet up with Eriol-kun and Li-san at the park."

"Ohohoho, why aren't you happy? Don't you want to see your crush?" Tomoyo giggled deviously, gathering up her backpack.

Sakura fake giggled… again. "Yup, I'm really excited!" As she picked up her backpack and turned away from Tomoyo, hurt and guilt was evident in her eyes. Her best friend had a crush on the guy she was "in love" with, and furthermore, she just _lied _to her best friend, something she had never even thought about doing before…

**X.**_At the Park_

"So, Syaoran…" a blue-haired boy slyly began. "What do you think of Sakura-chan?" Sitting on the Pigeon Befriending Bench was two boys: one with a stubborn look on his face and another that was obviously teasing the first.

A blush appeared on the second boy's face and he looked away, slouching lower in his seat. "I don't like Kinomoto-san, but she thinks I love her!"

"Well, if you ask me, I think she's pretty cute," Eriol shrugged. "But Tomoyo-chan is more kawaii." Feeling his best friend tense when he remarked that Sakura-chan was pretty, Eriol sat up, satisfied. "But you probably think Sakura-chan is prettier, ne?"

Syaoran grumpily looked away once more, but not before Eriol noticed his blush deepen.

"Look, Syaoran-kun, here they come now!" He pointed to the two girls jogging side-by-side, smiling to each other in excitement. As the tomboy-ish girl neared the boys, though, her back stiffened.

'_It's gonna be awkward between me and Syaoran…'_ Sakura thought nervously to herself as she stopped in mid-track. Tomoyo, sensing her best friend halting abruptly, pushed the other girl forward. "In case you didn't notice, Sakkie-chan, we're not really there yet…"

Sakura weakly smiled and continued on, blushing when she saw Eriol smile at them from afar. Tomoyo waved energetically to them, sighing to herself when she saw Eriol. When the girls finally reached them, they stopped walking, and Sakura tried avoiding looking at Syaoran. "Konnichiwa," she greeted the ground. Tomoyo poked her on the back, and then on her neck, causing Sakura's head to look straight ahead at the two boys.

"So are you ready to get ice cream?" Eriol grinned at them as they nodded in response. "Lead the way!"

Through the busy and bustling streets of Tomoeda they traversed, with Sakura and Tomoyo often times greeting some familiar faces. The four approached a local ice cream shop, and entered one by one, a bell tinkling near the entrance of the door. Upon reaching the counter, Sakura groaned and smacked her head with her hand. "Ugh… I forgot my money!"

"I-I'll pay," Syaoran offered after a nudge (try _punch_) from Eriol. He slipped his black wallet out of the back pocket of his jeans, glancing up at the menu board to look up the prices for a scoop of ice cream.

"Oh, will you?" Sakura hopefully smiled at him as he blushed heavily, looking away, with Tomoyo and Eriol exchanging sly grins behind them. Sakura was a bit disappointed that Eriol wasn't the one to offer to pay for her, but nevertheless, she was thankful.

Tomoyo, after fetching a purple wallet from her backpack, stepped up to the counter. "Konnichiwa, I'd like one scoop of… Jamocha Almond Fudge, please? Oh, and in a cup." Swiftly plucking a couple of bills from her wallet, she paid the cashier who, in turn, handed her a cup of ice cream. After Eriol ordered, paid, and received his cone of pistachio ice cream, Syaoran advanced toward the counter.

"Hi, can I have one scoop of chocolate ice cream in a cup, please?" Remembering that he was paying for Sakura, too, he turned toward her and, ignoring his blushing face, asked her what she wanted.

"K-Kinomoto-san, what do you want?" he gruffly inquired. Smiling sweetly (her resentment towards him resided when he offered her ice cream), she responded, "I'll have a cone of strawberry ice cream, Syaoran-kun."

Whipping around so Sakura wouldn't see him blushing at her choice of words for his name, he ordered for her, paid, then handed her the cone with two scoops of strawberry piled onto one another as they strolled out of the local shop, the tiny bell above their heads tinkling once more.

Back at the park, the four kids, finding the Pigeon Befriending Bench vacant, sat there to enjoy their cups and cones of ice cream. They conversed about how Yelan, Syaoran's mother, was thinking of letting the boys live and receive education at Tomoeda living with Syaoran's butler, Wei, until college came around. Enthralled by this news, Sakura was in a much more pleasant mood, and became friendlier to Syaoran. The two gradually got to talking; they became fast friends, thanks to their similar interests in sports and such. Sakura knew that even if she did have a major crush on Eriol (she still blushed whenever he looked at her), it wouldn't be too bad to be stuck with Syaoran for the rest of her life…

"Syaoran…" Sakura began, tossing the remains of her ice cream cone to the side, her eyes innocently blinking up at him. "Are you my friend?"

He smiled at her a bit and shrugged. "Hai, I guess…"

"Then can you promise me something?" She had to do it. If she didn't, it would be too late, and she'd never have a chance with Eriol. She knew it would happen sooner or later, but she had to do something, for now, to prevent it.

"Sure…" he glanced at her confusedly while habitually chewing on his spoon. A slight breeze ruffled his messy locks and left his bangs covering his eyes, making him even cuter than before.

Sakura thrusted out her pinky while glancing at Tomoyo and Eriol to make sure they weren't looking. "Here, stick out yours too."

Doing exactly that, they linked pinkies. "You can't ever, ever break this promise. Okay, Syaoran-kun?" Sakura pleaded, her eyes desperate.

"O…kay…" he stared at their pinkies wrapped around each other with a slight blush on his face as he shifted uncomfortably in his seat. On the opposite side of the lengthy bench, Tomoyo and Eriol were having their own conversation, not paying attention to the other couple.

'_Here goes…'_ Sakura deeply inhaled, avoiding Syaoran's acute gaze.

"Promise me, Syaoran-kun…" Her voice was barely above that of a whisper. "Promise that you won't fall in love with me…"

_**x3 **_

And that's our first chapter, rewritten. Lots of blushing little nine-year-olds, ne? Heh. Cutiepies.

Don't forget to review! We won't update unless YOU review! Yes, YOU!

_:peachesxcream:_


End file.
